Monday, October 28, 2013

We had another appointment at McMaster today. The ultrasound took a really long time since they had requested a higher level of detail. The good news is that my amniotic fluid looked good. The bad news is that they still didn't get everything they wanted to see. Like I said in the last McMaster post, they check for the known potential issue but they also check for anything else. They have a long checklist of items they want to see... For example, the last visit they couldn't see the feet completely. This time the baby was on its side and the feet could be seen. But they couldn't check off some facial features, brain and heart sections. When they can't see something it's almost always due to positioning. The genetic counselor is very good at letting us know she is in no way concerned. Unfortunately, this does mean I have to go back in a couple weeks. Boo.

This visit was different though... because the tech could see the gender! We're having a GIRL! I was convinced it was a boy. Ian had no idea but is really happy with a girl. I'm still a little in shock. :) We came home and ordered the nursery furniture. We had been waiting because the color depended on what we were having.

Here it is. Double dresser, 4n1 crib and a night stand.

The colors of the nursery will be pink, gray and white. Here is the crib set I've picked.

I'm in love with the mobile... elephants!

And Ian can't have a baby without bunnies. :)

Here is Baby Girl Matheson's latest glamor shot. Head to the right. Most likely sucking her thumb. :D

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Friday was our last low key day before we traveled home. We went from Maine to Vermont in about 6 hours or so. We didn't do much but eat really good food! Breakfast was at a place that Ian went to on his childhood New England trip. Governor's Restaurant (sadly the train wasn't running...)

It was a long day of twisty roads through a couple state parks. We passed what I think was the back side of Mount Washington which was covered in snow. We stopped in Gorham, New Hampshire at Mountain Fire Pizza. It was another great random food find... fresh wood fired pizza and spicy butternut squash and maple soup. We got to Vermont just as the sun was setting. We headed down to the shore of Lake Champlain to the Church Street Marketplace. It's a closed street with a few blocks of stores and restaurants. We found a place called Sweetwaters and we got a table in the enclosed patio area.

To celebrate the end of our Babymoon, we ordered dessert. Ian had a Maple Creme Brûlée and I had the most delicious dessert... Salted Caramel Vanilla Cake. :> Thankfully, we walked it off by exploring the marketplace.

The Babymoon - still an odd word - was a success. It was exactly what I wanted from a pre-baby trip. We traveled EXACTLY 3600 kilometers or 2237 miles. Now we get back to the new normal. Tomorrow we find out if baby is still healthy and possibly the gender. If we find out the gender, then it's game on! We will order the nursery furniture and start picking out names and colors. :) Good times~

Friday, October 25, 2013

Sadly, Thursday was check out day from Mount Washington. I snapped a picture of the giant chess set we didn't get a chance to check out. Next time! :P

We drove to Maine to hit up an outlet that had a Motherhood Maternity store. I was able to snag a pair of jeans with a stretchy belly cover. We had lunch at Robert's Maine Grill... we MUST go back... It was sooooo good.

Ian ordered fish and chips - shocking! He got to have his two favorite things... ketchup and malt vinegar. :)

Also not shocking, we found some Don Howard's in Maine.

Fantastic bridge on the way to Bar Harbor, Maine.

We ended our night at Stewman's Lobster Pound. It's a shame that we got there so late because I think the view would have been amazing in the daytime. It was right on the water near the docks. But the lobster rolls were super tasty.

On Wednesday, we decided it was a day for relaxing. We went to the dining room for breakfast and got a really good table by the window that had a great view of Mount Washington. Here is a terrible picture that was the best I could take with the sun shining.

Breakfast was fantastic... it was a buffet that had anything you could possibly want. I had a bowl of berries that was probably the best ever. The oddest part was that the waitress brought us a palate cleanser. I couldn't place the flavor but Ian thought it tasted good. Turns out it is hibiscus!

After breakfast, Ian booked another tee time for the day and I decided to join him. I had a ton of fun being his caddy. Next time I would bring a blanket though... after the 5th hole the sun went away and the temperature dropped to the mid to high 30s. Brrrrrrrrr.

Life is rough. :)

We were joined in the course by some very friendly people.

After golf, lunch at the clubhouse and some naps, we headed down to The Cave to watch the Red Sox game. The Cave was originally a Speakeasy and it was so awesome. It feels like you're under the imminent threat of the place collapsing with the crumbling brick ceiling and floor. Ian had a beer and bourbon while the Red Sox beat up the Cardinals in the first 5 innings. I had water. Woo getting sloshed! :P This was the sign on the walk down to The Cave.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

On Tuesday, we headed down to South Deerfield, Massachusetts. What is there you ask? Why, the SCENTER OF THE UNIVERSE! At least that's what's on the front of the building. :P

We took a scenic route down through New Hampshire, across to Vermont and then down into Massachusetts. A lot of "wows" were said... I only got a couple good pictures on my phone. I left the good camera behind. :(

So what is the scenter of the universe? Yankee Candle Company Village. :)

Mums everywhere. Pumpkins everywhere. I was in heaven. The place is huge and sells not just candles... lots of home decor and.... Department 56 collections. Imagine my surprise when we turn a corner and see exactly what we saw on Monday! A vast dark space that looks like Christmas threw up everywhere... Carols playing... fake snow falling from the sky and a huge display of Department 56 collectibles. We looked over the selection and I really had no intention of buying anything...... until I saw that Yankee Candle Company had its own limited edition version of their store that fit with the New England Village set. Yup, I'm a sucker. I'll post pictures of that and the other cool thing we bought when we are back in Canada.

After the village visit and lunch at the restaurant there, we headed to Merrimack, New Hampshire. We drove there because it was sort of on our way back from Massachusetts and... it had a Premium Outlet that had a Lane Bryant store in it. I'm saving most of my dollars for the Motherhood Maternity outlet in Maine. But sadly, while on this trip, I have outgrown my jeans and I only have one pair of comfy pants to wear. I picked up a second set for $20 and then we headed back to the hotel.

Monday, October 21, 2013

This morning we headed to North Conway, NH which is about 45 minutes away from the hotel. The drive was really cool as the road went through the mountains of a national park. We went to this town so that I could go to a store called The Christmas Loft.

There aren't many words to describe this store. (Too dark and too many people to take any pictures!) It's huge and sells, you guessed it, Christmas items. They had some fall theme decorations as well. It was overwhelming at first because it's really dark inside. There are little "villages" you walk inside that have themes... They sold every ornament you could possibly imagine.

Yup! That's a Red Sox Nutcracker! (blurry)

The main purpose of going was to see what Department 56 Villages they had. I've been wanting to collect a set for awhile and I'd landed on the New England Village series. It fits with our house and isn't as "flashy" as some of the other villages. I chose a retired piece to start with. There are a lot more pieces from the collection that I want. Some of them don't have snow or Christmas decorations in the buildings... so I might stay away from those. I got this building and a "gate" that as a wreath on it.

The "Colonial Post and Telegraph".

After the crazy Christmas Loft, we walked around town and stopped to get a slice of true Boston Pizza. Fantastic.. The good kind of pizza that is a little bit thin and soft but the bottom is crispy. We visited the Conway train station and made plans to take a scenic train tour on Wednesday. (I decided that I was brave enough to ride the Cog Railway but not brave enough to pay the fare - $64 per person!! No thanks... I'll view the mountain from the bottom.) Ian got some Red Sox gear. US prices plus no tax. Sweet.

Beard Shirt and a better fitting Red Sox hat.

We got back to the resort for Ian's tee time and my Mommy To Be massage. It was probably the best massage I've ever had. The pregnancy pillow was comfortable and the table was heated. The best part was after I turned over, instead of laying flat on my back, he raised up the back and knee part of the table so that I was mostly sitting up.. super comfortable. Now I'm back in the room, a pile of goo and massage oil waiting for Ian to come back from his round of golf. Great vacation so far!

The road into New Hampshire was equally beautiful. I took a lot of pictures with the nice camera so

I don't have much to post. But we got to one scenic view stop and snapped a picture.

As we approached the Mount Washington Hotel, it seemed to glow. :P

So... it really is The Overlook Hotel from The Shining. It's very old and has a ton of charm. The most surprising aspect was that they only have one elevator. It's tiny and needs an elevator operator. Yes, that old-timey. He uses a lever and views the floors through a window into the shaft. Crazy! I'll snap some more pictures of the hotel today but here are a couple.

The drive through Vermont was so pretty. We are a little past peak for the trees so I can't imagine what full peak would be. Most of the drive we were following a river. We stopped at the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Waterbury, VT. Ian went there as a kid and was probably the only kid there that did NOT want ice cream. This time was a little different... here's proof.

We walked around the site as I enjoyed Triple Caramel Chunk and Ian had Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake. They have a "Flavor Graveyard" of retired flavors. Pretty cute!

We headed to the ferry terminal near Plattsburgh to catch a ride across Lake Champlain. It was chilly and slightly windy as we drove the car onto the boat. I was thankful that our spot was in the middle of the pack. :P